Austen Smith

Women's Skeet

Date of birth:

7/23/2001

Hometown:

Keller, Texas

College:

The University of Texas, Arlington, Aerospace Engineering

Olympic Experience:

  • 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

Biography:

Austen Smith had only been shooting six years and did not expect to make it to Tokyo given the depth and years of experience on the United States Women’s Skeet Team, many of who she’s looked up to throughout her shooting career.

At just 18 years old when she made her first Olympic Team in March 2020; Austen is the youngest member of the USA Shooting Olympic Team this cycle. She was competing on the junior circuit just a year prior.

Austen won a Junior World Championship silver medal in 2017 and bronze medal in 2018, which she rounded out with a junior individual World Cup gold medal and junior mixed team gold medal in 2019. In 2021 Austen made headlines with her gold medal performance at World Cup Lonato as the youngest of six competitors in the finals. She beat out Great Britain’s Amber Hill by three targets to claim her first open World Cup medal.

She graduated high school shortly after making the Olympic Team and enrolled in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas, Arlington. She says it gives her another challenge and another thing to focus on when she is unable to shoot due to COVID-19 restrictions and the postponement of the Games.

Austen is coached by three-time Olympic Champion, Vincent Hancock. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo.

Competition Highlights:

  • 2023 Pan American Games: Bronze, Mixed Team Skeet
  • 2023 ISSF World Championship: Gold, Women’s Skeet Team, Gold and a new world record, Mixed Skeet Team
  • 2022 World Championship, Gold, Women's Skeet Team
  • 2022 World Cup Lima, gold, 3-Woman Skeet Team, silver, Mixed Skeet Team
  • 2022 World Cup Cyprus, bronze, Women's Skeet, silver, Women's Skeet Team,
  • 2021 ISSF World Cup Lonato, gold medalist
  • 2021 ISSF World Cup Lonato, bronze medalist, mixed team
  • 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, 10th, skeet
  • 2019 ISSF Junior World Cup Suhl, gold medalist
  • 2019 Junior World Championships Lonato, gold medalist, Mixed Team
  • 2018 Junior World Championships Changwon, bronze medalist
  • 2017 Junior World Championships Moscow, silver medalist